Messi set to retire temporarily from Argentine National Team

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Agosto 14, 2018 Por Oscar Rojas

Assuntos: Argentina, Lionel Messi, Claudio Tapia

'La Pulga' had a conversation with Argentina's interim boss to make a decision on his international career, and things are not looking good for La Albiceleste.

Bad news for Lionel Messi's fans in Argentina -and the U.S.-, as the player has made up his mind on whether he will continue playing for his National Team or not.

According to reports coming in from the South American country, interim boss Lionel Scaloni discussed the possibility of having Messi around for the team's upcoming friendlies against Guatemala and Colombia, but the player has excused himself from playing with La Albiceleste for the rest of the year.

In fact, according to Infobae's report, Messi's future with the Argentine team is not bright, as he is still considering the possibility of hanging his boots for good.

The fact that the Argentine Football Association (AFA) hasn't decided to appoint a full-time boss following Jorge Sampaoli's sacking played a major role in Messi's decision to take a leave of absence from his National Team. Furthermore, Messi needs to know if AFA execs have a long-term plan to bring the team back to greatness, which is still being develop

Another report by Clarín states that Messi's decision to retire temporarily is being fueled by his relationship with Claudio Tapia, AFA's president. Tapia allegedly convinced Messi to take some time off before returning to the team, but AFA's slow decision-making process could force them to play the 2019 Copa América without their best player.

The Argentine National Team is set to experience a major makeover, as Javier Mascherano, Lucas Biglia and other players have already retired from the National Team, following their disappointing FIFA World Cup. If AFA execs want to have "La Pulga" around, their choice on who takes over as the team's boss will be crucial.